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Garia finally has a one-on-one with the latest arrival from
Earth and they swap stories. Later, the War Council inspects the most
recent additions to the Allies' armory.

Somewhere
Else Entirely

by
Penny Lane

126
- Maralin

Disclaimer: The original characters and plot of this
story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing
copyright is intended. This story is copyright (c) 2011-2015 Penny
Lane. All rights reserved.

"And this is where we practice every morning," Garia
explained. "I don't believe you do any martial arts?"

"Hardly," Maralin replied. "If I had done then
maybe I wouldn't have ended up the way I did. Don't worry, I'm
content to observe for now. Perhaps His Grace will permit me to
exchange ideas with yourself and your people sometime later."

"I'd like that. Although all the Valley countries are
supposed to have similar customs, I have already noticed some
differences in military matters. If we're going to be fighting
together, then we ought to learn from each other wherever we can."

"Aye, I agree." Maralin looked around the Self Defense
Training Room. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Just go and sit on the bleachers over there with Jenet and
watch. Some of it won't be very pretty, but I'm sure you'll enjoy
yourself."

Maralin gave Garia an exaggerated bow. "As you desire,
Milady."

She grinned back. "You'll go far with that attitude, though
in your case it comes directly from Hollywood. We aren't so formal
behind the scenes."

"So I have noticed."

Jenet said, "If you would follow me ...Tenant."

Jenet conducted Maralin to the side seats where Merizel, Tandra
and Tarvan were already seated. Garia walked to the mats in the
center to join Keren, Terinar and Milsy. Garia and Milsy were both
wearing 'guardswoman' style fatigues while Terinar wore his normal
exercise gear in Dekarran colors.

"How much more practice at falling do I need?" Milsy
demanded. "I want to get onto some proper combat."

"The last few days have been good," Garia judged. "Tell
you what, let Keren show you some throws while I try and improve
Terry's movements. You started a little later than he did so it is
natural that you're behind."

"Oh. I thought you'd be teaching me throws, not
Keren."

"There's a method to my madness." There were smiles, so
she added, "Though many might not agree. Most of the opponents
you will face in real life will be men, so it would be better for you
to learn to cope with them first. Afterwards you can learn how to
adjust to a woman opponent. At the moment there won't be that many
since there are only eight guardswomen, Eriana and myself who know
how to do any of this."

Milsy nodded. "As always, you make sense, Garia. Highness,
whenever you are ready."

The two pairs faced off across the mats, taking care to keep out
of Bessel's way as he taught four others. On the seating, Maralin
leaned towards Jenet.

"They do this every morning?"

"Aye, Tenant. Milady says that it is important to continue
practicing so that the muscles learn what to do when it becomes
necessary. When the time comes to reply, the response is immediate,
without thought, so she tells us." Jenet thought. "Certainly,
whenever I have seen her defend herself in a fight, she seems to do
so automatically. She owes her life to her reflexes."

"Interesting. There was nothing like this near where I grew
up in Chicago and..." it was mainly the boys did it.
"...I had other interests. Perhaps His Grace will agree to
introduce some martial arts to Joth in time."

"I do not think His Majesty would raise any objection if the
practice was to become more widely known. Look! See how she uses his
heavier weight to lever him over her body? Having watched her for so
long I now understand how she does it, though I do not practice it
myself."

"But you all seem to do the Tai Chi, don't you?"

"Oh, yes, Tenant! It is suitable for all and Milady is trying
to get everyone to do it wherever she goes. Even the King and Queen
now attend the sessions every morning. It is only the very young or
the very old who may not attempt such a gentle exercise."

"Then this is something we must take back to Joth when we go.
I will mention it to His Grace."

The small group watched the exercises, noting the apparent
violence held in check during the bouts. A bell passed and everyone
stopped to take drinks. Jenet pulled bottles out for Garia and Keren,
Tandra readied a drink for Terinar while Tarvan, whose injuries were
still not healed enough to permit him to practice, did the same for
Milsy.

"I should have started this months ago," Milsy said. "I
know it takes time away from my work but the events of that ball
showed how necessary it is to be able to defend myself."

"Aye," Tarvan agreed. "I wish we had both thought
of it earlier, I might not have been stuck like a zinakh."

Garia shook her head. "You can never tell, Tarvan. That hall
was so packed with people anything could have happened to anybody.
The only reason they didn't get away with it was because the
guardsmen stopped reinforcements coming from the kitchens. When I got
pushed out from behind Keren -" she shuddered, "- I thought
I was a goner. It was only because Stott happened to be right there
with a spear that I saw a way out."

"As you say, Milady. It was interesting to see you fight with
a spear, but not as a spear, if you understand me."

Garia shrugged. "It was ready to hand, that's all. I don't
know how to use a spear properly, especially not in a crowded room."

Maralin remarked, "I have heard the story, Milady, but I do
not understand. You had a spear but you did not know how to use it?"

«Quarterstaffs,» she explained in English. "The shaft was
too heavy, really, and too long, but I managed. The school of martial
arts I attended encouraged you to use anything and everything
available. If the spear hadn't been there I'd have used a chair."
She grinned at Milsy. "Or a fork."

Terinar asked, "Will you be demonstrating quarterstaffs to
the men, Garia? I would attend that session, if I may."

Garia thought. "Maybe. With all the additional visitors
around the place, yourself included, my time has been limited. I'll
ask Merek and see what he thinks."

* * *

Garia asked in English, "You're happy to be meeting like
this?"

Maralin replied in the same language, "I am if you are, My
Lady. I'm assuming it is permitted for us to be alone like this?"

"There's a certain level of trust involved, but yes, it is.
Of course, I can't be with you without having another woman present
which is why Jenet is sitting over there. Oh, and leave off the 'My
Lady' if you don't mind. I get enough of that all the time. Just
plain Garia will do today. This court isn't so formal behind the
scenes."

"So I have learned this morning." Maralin looked around.
"These are your quarters?"

"That's right. It's a suite of sitting room, bedroom,
bathroom, separate toilet and a big dressing room." Garia jerked
a thumb. "Eriana has a suite the same that way. These two used
to belong to Keren's sisters before they married and moved away. The
other direction," she indicated, "is the Royal Suite. It's
much bigger than ours, as you would expect."

Maralin gave a wry grin. "Of course the quarters of a mere
Tenant are much less palatial but I do live with His Grace so that
gives me some privileges." His expression became serious. "Would
you tell me how you came here, Garia? I'm trying to understand what
has happened to us and I need some answers. The Prince said you knew
a little more about what was going on."

I never considered that question, Garia realized suddenly.
How much do I tell Maralin? How much will I be allowed to tell
him? Personally, I can't see it making any difference but if it
causes him to make a decision another way because of that knowledge,
it might change the future.

Shit. I don't want to do this but I'd better keep my mouth shut
about the Beings for now.

"Well, let's start by telling you who I was before I
arrived."

Garia told Maralin her story, beginning with her Earth background
and then describing how she had been found in the mountains before
briefly outlining her subsequent adventures and developments. Maralin
proved an attentive listener and asked several questions which showed
he had been thinking very carefully about his own experiences since
he had arrived.

"So, what happened to you, then?" Garia asked at
the end. "I know you wrote me how you had been found but little
else."

"It has been difficult for me to find time to write since we
have been so busy," Maralin replied. "I have no problem
telling you about myself now but I warn you, it won't be pretty."

"I guessed as much from your letters. I don't think I'll be
too shocked, I promise."

"Okay, then. I was born in Chicago about twenty five years
ago, I think." He frowned. "It's odd, but I can't really
remember the events leading up to my coming here, so I can't figure
out the dates. Are you the same?"

"I am. I have no idea what I was doing at the point I came
here. I know I was a high-school senior and that's about all. The
fact the years are longer here doesn't help matters."

"Aye. I am still getting used to the strange day and month
system. Anyway, I had a reasonably normal upbringing in Chicago and
left school with good grades. I wanted to work in the restaurant
trade since it runs in my father's family. I went to college and got
a food preparation diploma and for a while all was well. I worked
myself up to sous-chef in a couple of the better Chicago restaurants
and then unfortunately met a man who basically destroyed my life.
Benny."

The venom with which Maralin pronounced that name surprised Garia.

"Benny the Blade, they called him. Only, he didn't seem like
that to begin with, of course. He sweet-talked his way round me and
before I knew it he had taken over my life. Unfortunately Benny liked
his women pliant so he fed me booze and, eventually, drugs. Out went
the job and over a period of about two years I was reduced to waiting
tables in corner dives. Then he started using his fists and other
things. In the end I was a virtual prisoner in his apartment, just
barely living and hoping he wouldn't come home for a few days."

Maralin stopped, overcome for a moment by the sheer horror of her
situation.

"Then, one night, I was found in a ditch on the road out of
Joth," he resumed. "I had no memory or anything for five
days or so. I could speak the language, though. Was it like that with
you?"

Garia nodded. "It was exactly the same. I think it must have
to do with the way we were brought here. I am told I had headaches
for those few days which became worse and then there was a big one,
after which everything came back to me."

"That's exactly it! Do you have any idea why?"

Careful, now.

"Well, I sort of figured it out, you know? Look, neither you
nor I have the bodies we had on Earth, right? Therefore, we must
have been recreated by some sort of machine in order to provide a
body here. So we're clones, right? I'm wild-ass guessing, now, that
to send a whole body however far away we are is too expensive in
energy terms... or something like that. So, like, maybe they just
send the DNA. Or maybe even a description of the DNA."

"Yes. I think I'd worked that much out."

"So perhaps something goes wrong with the machines every now
and then and they get the gender wrong. That's fair enough, a man's
body and a woman's body both start out much the same in the womb
after all. Now, the problem is, we have to have all our original
memories stuffed into that clone brain, which isn't going to be
exactly like the one we had on Earth, is it? That's why the
headaches, I'm guessing."

Maralin nodded. "That makes sense. And then after a few days
everything clicks into place and we remember who and what we were."
There was a rueful grin. "The first few days were a disaster, I
can tell you. Trying to adapt to a new body at the same time as
trying to adapt to a whole new society, well... I was lucky I managed
not to give myself away. I had decided not to say anything to anyone
about my origins but when we were training out in the fields the
Yodans used guns on us and I knew what they were. Since I
apparently knew about Yod's secret weapon things got difficult. I was
accused of being a spy but managed to talk my way out of it.

"That word, gun, eventually filtered up to His Grace,
who just happened to be entertaining a Prince of our acquaintance. He
realized immediately what danger I was in from Yod and I was called
to His Grace's side. He very graciously decided to take me on as an
aide to keep me safe, though I think I have managed to pay my own
way. Who would have thought that I would be so good at warfare? Me, a
cook, leading troops into battle."

"Well, don't get yourself killed, will you? We need all the
good men we can get to defeat Yod."

"Don't forget the women! We were all amazed by the assault
those Norsemen made on Boldan's Rock. We had all suspected that the
fort had been captured by Yod but there was no proof. When the
Forgulanders met Eriana's men - and women - at the end they were
astonished that so few could have inflicted such a massive defeat."
Maralin grinned. "Of course, I knew what Vikings were like but I
couldn't say anything."

"We were lucky there," Garia said. "Those people
thought they were sailing to Vinland a thousand years ago and ended
up on Anmar instead. In those thousand years they could have just
settled down and turned into farmers. I'm pleased to say that it was
me who thought up the idea of attacking the fort from behind and they
certainly lived up to expectations."

Maralin frowned. "There's a strange thing I found. When they
came to Joth on their way back through I discovered that I could
understand their speech, and fairly well, too. Now I didn't expect
that at all and I had to cover it up straight away. I don't think
anyone realized. So, as we were journeying down here I got them to
teach me their language, making sure I acted dumb and got things
wrong occasionally. I think Eriana suspects something but I can't be
sure."

"Do any of them know you're an Earthling?"

He shook his head. "No. In Joth, only the Duke knows. Oh, and
Renita, of course. She's my partner and as soon as we whip those
Yodans I'm going to do the decent thing and marry her. The Prince and
yourself are the only others who know."

"Congratulations! If I have time maybe we can come and join
you when you celebrate your wedding. Say, do you realize that your body here
has had an upgrade? Your mention of knowing another language makes me
think."

Garia switched languages and began talking in the Six Cities
tongue. Maralin was startled for a moment, then thoughtful, then
surprised.

"Another language? Who speaks that?"

Back in English, Garia explained, "There's a people who live
on the west coast of Alaesia, about four or five thousand miles
away." She shrugged. "I don't know and I don't think anyone
has actually measured it. Anyway, that's the language they speak over
there. There is a tradition that many of their young men make the
trek all the way over here to learn different stuff and gain
experience. We have several in the Palace Guard and I now have one as
an armsman. In fact, you may have met him since he went with Keren on
that trip. You might have seen them around, they kind of look like
they could be natives from North or South America or something like
that, only not so brown."

Maralin nodded. "You're right, I have seen one or two along
the way but thought nothing of it." He smiled. "After all,
there's a lot about this world that's still new to me."

"You have no idea! Anyway, the point is, I think we
could know a lot more languages than we realize but we'll only
discover we know one when someone else speaks it in front of us. Just
to warn you in case it ever happens again, you might want to keep
that knowledge secret like you did before."

"That's a good point, thank you for warning me."

"And that reminds me of something else. You may also have
noticed that your memory is better, particularly of memories from
Earth. That's how I've been able to help these people, by telling
them things I remember from back then."

"I have noticed, but I hadn't realized it was anything
special."

"If you put your mind to it, you'll find that you can
probably remember every single thing you did or saw for any
particular day in your former life. For a boy suddenly dumped in a
woman's world, that can be downright embarrassing. I never realized
just how much I noticed of what girls wore."

Maralin smiled. "I wouldn't worry about it. Our lives on
Earth were so different than they are here that nobody is going to
pick something like that up - unless you tell them, and even then
they probably wouldn't understand the significance. For myself, I
never realized just how much I learned from old war films shown on
daytime TV. I've had to be careful but the army that Joth now has
bears almost no resemblance to the one it had when I arrived."

"Do you use guns?"

"Only the ones we captured. We don't have the resources to
make many of our own and nobody knows how to make the powder."

Garia looked smug. "We are making our own, and we have
figured out the powder problem. At the moment we're concentrating on
two specific types but we don't have the resources to make many
either."

"But I thought Palarand was rich and full of metals and
engineers."

"It is, but they are caught up in the beginnings of the
Industrial Revolution - which I brought to them. They're too busy
figuring out how to build railroads and steamships, not to mention
how to use electric power, to have resources for advanced weapons.
Besides, we beat the Yodans off twice when they did have guns
and we didn't. Three times if you count Eriana."

"Specific weapons, you said."

"Um, we'd better leave that topic until the War Council
meets, I think. I know that you know that what we are talking about
is ancient history but the King and the Dukes don't."

"As you say. Uh, you spoke earlier of being a boy in a
woman's world. How is that affecting you?"

"It's not an issue now, but it was strange at the beginning,
as you must have noticed yourself. If I had had a choice, I think I
would have wished to be a few inches taller. Fortunately I have a
whole palace of people who are quite happy to run round after me and
lift things down from high shelves. As for the rest, this body seems
to be reasonably fit and healthy although I had to learn to deal with
breasts, of course."

Garia couldn't decide whether she ought to be embarrassed
discussing breasts with a man who used to be a woman, mentally
shrugged and carried on.

"Periods?"

Garia grimaced. "Not nice, most of them. Every single one
I've had so far has been different. Some good, some bad. No tampons
here, of course, but they have it all worked out so it's just handled
without much fuss."

"Do you want to introduce tampons?"

Garia was cautious. "Not sure. You must realize I know
nothing about the personal habits of Earth females. All I
remember is there is something called toxic shock if you get it
wrong."

Maralin nodded. "You're right, and they do require a certain
level of basic hygiene. However, if you want to consult some time..."

"Yes, I keep forgetting, you've been there, done that,
haven't you? Glad to be free of it all?"

"Absolutely! For myself, I can't get over how different
everything is. My body is harder, stronger and faster than I could
ever have imagined. I'm so tall I have to duck to get under some
doorways. The down sides are, my hands and feet are too big, my sense
of touch isn't as sensitive and I'm not sure the colors I see are as
good as they used to be. Nobody wants to talk much in the way a bunch
of women do, they are all too reserved. Most men seem to be
self-centered, talk a lot of bullshit and I've noticed some can get
aggressive very easily. I guess that's the testosterone. But
testosterone lets me focus on whatever I'm doing much better than I
could concentrate before." Maralin shrugged. "I don't think
it's worse or better, just different."

Garia nodded. "I agree. I was a bit upset at first but, Call
of Kalikan aside, I've really gotten used to it now. I don't think I
want to go back to what I was."

"I bet you don't," Maralin said with a grin. "You're
having too much fun here."

"Damn straight!"

"What about the clothes? I think that's my one regret, that
I'll never have the chance to wear some of the fabulous gowns I've
seen along the way."

"They're not so fabulous when you have to get all bundled up
in deep winter, so much on that you can barely sit down. Mostly I
agree with you, though. I really didn't like a lot of the clothes
they gave me when I first arrived but just put up with it, there was
no choice with a body that looks like this. That was partly because a
lot of them were hand-me-downs from the two Princesses and the styles
were out of date or too young. It is only in the last few months that
I've really had an eye for what I think I like and what I don't. I've
started introducing some new ideas which are based on Earth styles,
but I'm taking it gently."

"Styles? Can't say I've noticed."

"Keeping your eye in, then? Can't say I blame you. Here, they
are fairly conservative about what women wear, men too, come to that.
For example, a woman can show arms but only up to the armpit. No
shoulders at all. But in summer you can have a fairly deep scoop neck
and nobody seems to mind. Hemlines, they get anxious if even a hint
of knee shows when you're standing up but they recognize you'll show
something when you sit down. Like any society, they just have fads
and fancies and I work within those limits... mostly."

Maralin grinned. "Somehow, from what I've heard along the
way, I didn't expect you to be the sort of person who just blended
in."

"Absolutely! Of course, it was a conscious decision I had to
make soon after I arrived at the palace. Looking at me, what do you
see? A young girl. She can't know much of anything, can she? Just fit
for looking ornamental and swooning over the guardsmen. So I had to
do something to get them to take me seriously. The hair style is one
thing, the martial arts exercises another. I've had some fun with
clothing styles and also introduced bras to them. That all snowballed
when I realized that Anmar is going to have to take its women
workforce seriously if it wants to get this industrial upgrade to
work."

"Ah. Women's Lib?"

"Sort of. It helps when you have the Queen behind you,
though. Nobody says no to the Queen. Fortunately the King and
Queen recognize that I'm here to do a serious job and support me to
the hilt."

Maralin nodded. "Good. At least this time we get to do things
the right way."

"That's the whole point, isn't it? We can avoid making all
the mistakes that were made on Earth. That way, we can make big leaps
in technology while keeping the downsides in check."

"Do you think that's why we were brought here?"

"I have no idea. Maralin, the problem we both have is that we
don't even know if any of this is real. This could all be a
figment of one of our imaginations. I feel real but that
proves nothing. This could all be some kind of bizarre dream. I've
been thinking about it all and concluded I can't ever know whether
I'm real or not - the old philosophy professors would have a field
day."

"Aye. Will we ever know, do you think?"

"Maybe." Garia shrugged. "Eventually, perhaps."

And that's all I'm going to say on that subject right now.

She switched to another topic. "What do you know about the
animals around here?"

"Weird. My first experience was in a kitchen, naturally, and
I didn't know what anything was, animal or vegetable! They
have four-legged things and six-legged things, that's about all I can
tell you."

"Well, it seems as if there's a mixture of animals from more
than one world around here. Some of the four-legged ones originally
come from Earth, probably the same way we did, and it's possible that
the six-legged ones come from somewhere else entirely. Frayen are
sort of evolved from rhino, I think, and dranakh look like hippos but
they're much more intelligent. They can read people's minds but I
don't think they understand speech the way we do."

"Ah." Maralin nodded. "That explains the curious
way the dranakhs pulling our wagons behaved. I couldn't get over it."

"Yes, it's a bit of a surprise the first time. You've seen
pakh? I'm guessing they are a late arrival, since they
resemble alpaca from Earth and the name has hardly changed at all.
What about avians?"

Maralin grinned. "Tasty. I've cooked a few of them in my time
here. The fact they have four legs and bat-like wings means, I'm
guessing, that they are imports like us."

Garia shrugged. "Who knows? Now, there's a thing you ought to
know, Maralin. They have a creature here that would be called a
dragon on Earth. It's called a ptuvil here and I don't know
why. They are avians, but imagine one about thirty feet long with a
forty foot wingspan. Teeth to match."

"Seriously? What do I do if I see one?"

"You shouldn't see them very often. They appear to inhabit
the mountains to the north-east of here but that's all I know. They
may be other places as well. As for what you do, you'll do nothing.
The sight of a ptuvil in the air freezes all the men to the ground,
rooted with fear. It must be some kind of instinctive thing from our
past. If there are any women around, they will grab hold of the
nearest man with a grip like death. You can break the
paralysis but it will be very hard."

Maralin whistled. "This suddenly seems like an exciting land
I've come to. Any other surprises like that I should know about?"

"Well, there's grakh. Ptuvil seem to treat them as
food animals but both species will eat anything else if they can get
it, including us. Grakh are... older. To my way of thinking they look
something like a pteranodon, but those died out sixty million years
ago on Earth with the dinosaurs."

"Pteranodon?" Maralin frowned. "I didn't do much
dinosaur when I was younger."

"They aren't avians but more like a reptilian bat, if you
will. They aren't as big as a ptuvil but big enough. If you see one,
run. They will spook your mounts as well, so you'll have to be
aware that you'll need to control them firmly if they see any. Grakh
appear to migrate along the Valley every spring and fall, I don't
know where they go either end. Just to let you know."

Maralin shook his head. "This is all so amazing. On balance,
though, I think I'd rather be here than back on Earth. It's as if
I've been given a second chance." He pulled a face. "The
first one was nothing to write home about. Like you, I plan to stay
here and do what I can to help these people along."

"Well, my life back home wasn't so bad, I guess, but I can't
think of anywhere else I'd rather be than here, Maralin. Providing
our liege lords can get their act together, we should have a long and
fruitful collaboration fixing these people up, don't you agree?"

"Aye, but as the Prince has already pointed out, some of that
technology could be dangerous. How do you propose we handle that?"

"We already figured that one out, so you've no cause to
worry. We have a special council set up which evaluates everything I
tell them that comes from Earth, and they decide what to release and
what to seal in the archives until the future can handle it. Firearms
were on that list but unfortunately nobody told Yod."

"So the Prince informed us when he came to Joth."

"I think what the King wants to do is to expand the council
to include Joth initially. That means that you and His Grace would
meet us fairly often to decide progress and we would take joint
decisions. Given what the King proposed last night, that council
might end up a great deal bigger in a year or two's time."

"Aye. That was somewhat of a surprise, wasn't it? But from
the perspective of two Americans, it's the obvious answer. I'll agree
Anmar won't end up with a copy of the US but then this place is way
different. I'll be interested to see what happens, and proud to be a
part of it, too."

Garia grinned. "Yes, well, let's hope it doesn't end up like
that old Chinese saying. You know the one, 'May you live in
interesting times'."

"Aye, indeed. Let's fix Yod first and then we can plan out
the future."

Garia turned. "Jenet? Perhaps it is time for some pel."

"Pel," mused Maralin. "I miss coffee but pel is a
really good substitute, isn't it? I'm glad I don't miss the rest,
though. My body was pretty much screwed up by the end."

"Substance abuse?"

"How much is contained in just those two words! Aye, I was
into anything that shit could lay his hands on. Since we have new
bodies here, I'm guessing I wouldn't even have withdrawal symptoms."

"That's right. If only your DNA came here, there will be no
addictions, no viruses, no bacteria, no parasites, no nothing. We
start off again with a clean body. I just wish I'd been a little
taller, is all."

"I suppose there might be congenital conditions,"
Maralin mused. "You know, things that are in your DNA to begin
with."

"Perhaps, but remember it is all our DNA, so we'd only
have what our parents gave us originally. I'm guessing the upgrades
we have had in terms of memory and languages are only what our bodies
were capable of anyway."

Garia was about to say more but realized it would reveal the
existence of the Beings, so she smiled at Maralin.

"So, tell me what happened when you arrived in Joth."

Maralin described how he had been found by the retreating Jothans
by the roadside as the invaders expelled everyone from the city of
Joth. He had been taken south to the town of Galdarin and recovered
slowly. Once recovered, he, like all male Jothans of suitable age and
fitness, had been inducted as levies into the forces defending Joth
from the invaders, who just sat in their captured city, waiting
for... something.

Part of the training of the levies had involved practice
engagements in the countryside south of the city, and during those
exercises a Yodan patrol had surprised them and killed most of
Maralin's group. The survivors managed to get away and avoid capture
but their escape had been hard won.

On return to their base Maralin had realized that the Jothans had
been easily visible in their blue-and-white uniforms while the Yodans
had worn the brown camouflage Garia had already encountered. After a
discussion some temporary uniforms had been made out of sacking and
Maralin sent forward again to try and find out what he could about
the city. It was while he was away the second time that Keren had
passed through the country and met Wallesan, discovering that someone
had used the word gun.

He had been summoned to meet Wallesan and while there met Keren,
returning from Forguland. He had told the two of Maralin's
other-worldy origin and revealed that a similar person existed in
Palarand, that person being the reason for the Yodan activity. He
also told them of the danger which Maralin faced if the Yodans should
ever discover his existence.

Wallesan had taken Maralin into his care and learned that,
surprisingly, he could teach them much about warfare. The city had
been re-taken, Maralin playing his part in the house-to-house
fighting that resulted, but the defenders were too few to keep out
the Duke's forces once the walls had been breached. Much of the city
had been trashed and a number of prisoners had suffered under the
occupation. However, a number of the Yodan guns had been seized
together with quantities of powder and shot.

Maralin lowered his cup. "That was that," he concluded.
"His Grace couldn't move back to his mansion since the Yodans
had despoiled it, burning part of it to the ground. So, that is one
reason why he decided to use the opportunity presented when Her
Highness turned up with her band of Vikings." He grinned. "I
think the building crew will work easier without His Grace looking
over their shoulders. After learning of my connection with you it
made sense for us to travel here and, with your wedding less than a
month away, we might as well stay for the duration."

"Isn't His Grace needed for the fighting against Yod?"

Maralin shook his head. "Nope. Oh, he could if he insisted,
but he has professionals to do that for him. Since the contingents
from Palarand and Brugan came through he knows his men will only be
part of a larger army anyway. If he's not around he can't get into
arguments with the leaders of the other forces."

"That's a refreshing outlook, if I may say so."

"Maybe. I remembered I'd watched movies from the Second World
War where the leaders squabbled as they advanced across Europe after
D-Day and I mentioned the stories to His Grace. He took the point,
although I think part of him naturally wanted to be at the field of
battle. A larger part of him wanted to come here and see you,
I think, and when Her Highness appeared, it made up his mind for
him."

"Well, speaking for myself, I'm delighted to see both of you,
even though the circumstances could be better. You realize we both
had to fight battles to get this meeting. If Yod hadn't interfered,
neither of us would ever have known the other existed."

"Too true."

"Tell me, you said you were a cook? Sorry, a chef."

"Chef is just a fancy French word meaning Head Cook. I know
what I was, Garia." Maralin nodded thoughtfully. "I think I
was good enough at what I did. Of course, I'm not going to be able to
do much of that here, am I? I'm too valuable to spend much time in
kitchens now." He smiled. "Thank you for bringing the fork
to Anmar! I'm not sure I would have thought of that myself, I'd
probably just have put up with the existing tableware."

"My pleasure. Introduced anything yet?"

"Ah, well, I have to be careful, don't I? If word gets back
to Yod of new dishes suddenly appearing someone might accidentally
add two and two and get four. I have introduced pizzas to
Joth, though, although they call them peet-zers. I could
demonstrate them here if I get the go-ahead."

Garia thought. "I don't see why not. If they are now known in
Joth, and His Grace has traveled here, then we can say they came from
there, can't we? We'll have to raise it at that council I mentioned.
What about pasta?"

"I'd like to, especially if we now have forks to eat it with.
Oh, by the way, His Grace insists that you get a commission for every
fork made. It's only a small amount but he thinks you deserve it. The
money is in an account in Joth at the moment. The pasta, I've done a
few experiments but the grains they use here for flour are different,
of course. The attempts I've made so far haven't worked out as I
expected."

"Hmm. I hadn't thought of that." Garia brightened. "You
must speak to Master Tanon, I think. He's a Master Trader and he's
one of those who found me on that mountain, so we know each other
well. The point is, he knows foodstuffs and he might be able to find
you a flour that does what you want."

"Oh! I hadn't thought of that. Aye, if he is willing, he
might be useful. I'm still learning all the spices and herbs they use
here."

"He's on that council I spoke of, so you'll get your chance
and fairly soon, I think."

Jenet stood and curtseyed.

"Oh, right," Garia said, with a wave to her maid. "Jenet
has just indicated that it will soon be time for me to bathe and
change for the evening meal. I'm afraid we're going to have to finish
up for today, I hope you don't mind."

Maralin shrugged. "It's not as if I have to go travel
somewhere else, Garia. We'll have plenty of time to talk to one
another. I've enjoyed speaking English again, as it happens. I
wondered if I would begin to forget it."

"Actually, I've begun to teach some English to Keren. If you
didn't mind, we could have a session together with him. Hearing a
different voice may help him to pick up differences in the way we
speak."

"I'd like that." Maralin frowned. "How does your
maid know what time it is? I can't hear anything."

Garia grinned. "It's there if you listen carefully enough.
Jenet was born in the palace so she can make out the bells almost
anywhere inside it." She rose, and Maralin stood with her. "I'll
see you out. Us girls take longer to get ready than you rough men."

"Don't remind me!"

~o~O~o~

The numbers present meant that the War Council met in the room
where the Council of the Two Worlds usually met. On the large oval
table a map of the Great Valley had been spread, lit by candelabra at
each end. In front of each of those present was a drink suitable for
that person and plates of nibbles were placed at reachable points.

Robanar grunted. "Very well, let us begin. We have a lot to
discuss tonight, so let us try to remain on the subject. Your Grace,
as you are closest to the fighting, shall you begin?"

"Aye, brother," Wallesan agreed. "I see that your
map shows the countries as they were originally. My
men have produced this close-up of that central area to show the areas under the Yodan
thumb, with thanks to the Forgulanders and Ferens for bringing us
this knowledge. You are, of course, welcome to make copies."

At a sign from
Wallesan Maralin produced another map, at a larger scale, which the
Duke spread over the one already on the table.

"From
what my advisors tell me," he continued, "it looks like Yod
has now been pushed back to the lands they took from Ferenis,
excepting this narrow strip on the north bank of the Sirrel facing
Forguland. We have your amazing Einnlanders to thank for that. The
shock of losing that wharfage area was so great that much was left
behind when the invaders retreated. Many of their guns and supplies
of powder were captured and, after consulting with myself, the
Forgulanders and Ferens have preserved those weapons carefully for
us."

"For you, Wallesan?"

The Duke nodded. "Aye, Robanar." He quirked a smile. "It
seems that following our own experiences in cleaning them out of my
city we are accounted experts in the use and management of such
weapons. Of course, we have Tenant Maralin to thank for that."

Robanar nodded at Maralin, sitting unobtrusively beside Wallesan.

Wallesan continued, "The first four thousand of your troops
arrived while we were preparing to leave with Her Highness's party.
By now they should be encamped in Forguland with a like number of my
own levies. Of course they met Her Highness and her men and it seems
that morale among your men is high now, Robanar. An example has been
set they are anxious to exceed."

Robanar grunted. "A fortuitous encounter, then. I pray no-one
else may attempt anything so reckless while trying to better Eriana's
adventure." He nodded. "It was good to hear of such a
victory, obtained against such odds. As you say, it will enliven the
men."

"Aye. Of those who contend, only the Ferens and my own people
have tasted battle in anger. Your pardon, Robanar, I know you have
had your own battles against those of Yod but they were incursions
designed for a specific purpose. What I mean is, only we have
suffered continuous battle and permanent occupation of our lands.
Anything that may enthuse others to the party can only help."

Wallesan nodded at Bardanar. "We have around three thousand
of your own men camped in our fields, Bardanar. Since your men have
little recent experience, we plan training exercises against some of
our reserves to let them understand what will be expected of them. We
will demonstrate guns to them and introduce them to the art of
camouflage."

"I thank you, Wallesan," Bardanar replied. "We
spoke of this as we journeyed here and we are in agreement about what
must needs be done. My men will not thank me for it but at least they
will remain alive long enough to curse me. What of the supply
situation? Have you enough to feed so many men?"

"We manage, though the diet will become tedious in time. The
river is almost quiet enough we can begin bringing supplies from
further downstream."

Robanar added, "I will do my share, brothers. Mayhap it will
mostly be by wagon at first but as soon as we can get river barges
moving we will. The seasons turn and the river has already begun
accepting traffic." He leaned forward. "Have you considered
what guns may do on an encounter between boats?"

"It has been near the front of my mind these last weeks,"
Wallesan admitted. "Maralin says that a gun like those which Yod
have used against us could blow a hole in the hull of any water
vessel. A carefully prepared galley could bring river traffic to a
standstill."

Garia couldn't let that pass and held up her hand to speak.

"Your Grace, for a gun to make a hole in a boat, the galley
would have to be close enough that defenders on the boat could fire
arrows at them or throw spears. You could possibly send fire-pots or
something similar across at that range."

"As you suggest, Lady Garia. However, not all of our barges
can be defended that way. Each vessel would need double the number of
crew at least."

"Oh. You're right, I hadn't considered the whole picture.
Unfortunately, I've been stuck in the palace so I don't really have
any knowledge of what happens up the Sirrel."

Bardanar said, "Lady Garia has a point, though. Are we at
risk from attack on the river?"

Wallesan shook his head. "Not any more, brother. Remember, we
now hold Boldan's Rock - the Forgulanders do on behalf of the
alliance, of course. Those of Yod have lost their wharfage which
means they have another whole bend of the river to sail their craft
around - and they shall not be permitted to pass Boldan's Rock."

"You would deny them free passage on the Sirrel?"
Robanar asked.

"Aye, Robanar. To my way of thinking they forfeited that
right when they attacked Palarand." He looked belligerently at
the others. "This nonsense has gone on too long, brothers. I
deem the only way we may end such outrages is to invade Yod and
subjugate it completely."

Bardanar added, "I cannot disagree, Robanar. If we consider
what we spoke of last night it is apparent that Yod must be remade in
the mold of our own lands. The territories it has taken must be
returned to their former owners at the very least."

Robanar considered briefly. "Think you the others will agree
to this? It sets a precedent I would rather it did not."

Wallesan replied, "Wave a Federation under their noses,
Robanar. If our countries may rely on one another, no-one need fear
invasion by any other."

Bardanar said, "Those of Yod may be unwilling."

"Those of Yod sought war against us! They must bear the
consequences."

Robanar nodded acceptance. "Then so it must be. Though we are
far from the affairs at the center of the Great Valley they still
affect us here. I am concerned that the precedent may cause the
break-up of Palarand."

Bardanar was startled. "I did not think of that, Robanar! Of
course, your situation is different, I deem. You joined together in
mutual agreement, and Visselen rules Brikant as his family have
always done. Is this what you sought for your federation?"

"Briefly, aye. We demonstrate a good model for such a union
of countries. But we stray from the point, brothers. Yod must be
subdued and the infection cut out. Their people are like our own, I
know since we hold many as prisoner and most would rebel against
their master had they the chance. It is those who lead who must be
held to account for the insults we have been dealt."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Then let us move on. Uniforms, we are agreed that the
traditional uniforms of our countries shall no longer be worn during
campaigns? We shall each choose a cloth that makes our men less
visible when facing the enemy. With the advent of guns, a man may be
killed at a distance no arrow can reach. We must keep our men safe
against such dangers, it is our duty."

Wallesan turned. "You have guns that can reach so far? I
thought such weapons were only for close-quarter combat."

Robanar grinned. "We have developed a single weapon which is
designed to cut the head off the enemy. Garia calls it a sniper
rifle. My dear, if you would?"

Garia left her chair and lifted three bags onto the table. She
opened the longest one and from it withdrew a sample of the rifle.
There were murmurs of surprise from some of those around the table.

Wallesan asked, "May I?"

"Of course." Robanar grinned. "Just mind my table,
if you would."

Wallesan handled the weapon, being careful not to touch anything
important. "Fearsome. Heavy. How is it used?"

"If I may, Your Grace." That was Maralin. He took the
rifle, stood and held the butt to his shoulder, sighting through the
tube on top. "Ah. I get it now." He looked at Garia. "Your
idea is to take out the officers, then?"

"Exactly right, Tenant," she replied. "From what I
have learned of their common troops, most are levies like our own and
are just farmers and laborers. They do what they are told and no
more. It seems they aren't told anything about what they are supposed
to be doing, that's left up to the officers. If we can get a few of
these rifles out there and take out those in charge, their army
should just fold up in front of us."

"Do you really think that will happen?"

Garia shrugged. "It's a war. Anything can happen. But if it
means their officers have to keep their heads down, then they won't
be in such a good command of their troops, will they? Either way, we
win."

"As you say. So, how does this work, then?"

"It's a single shot breech loader, Tenant. The barrel is
rifled and we have cartridges which fit down the bore. We didn't have
time to invent caps to ignite the powder so our clever engineers came
up with a way to use a flintlock mechanism instead."

"So I see. This lever does the work, then?"

"Yes. Push it all the way to the right and the gun will break
for you to see inside."

Maralin broke the gun and looked at the cartridge before closing
it up and returning the lever to the vertical.

"But like this the lever is in the way of the sight."

"Right. Now you know the gun is loaded and secure against the
weather. I won't ask you to do it, because you'll make a mess, but if
you were to push that lever to the left it cuts open the
cartridge so that the pan is filled and tightens the screw thread
holding the two parts together."

Maralin looked and nodded. "Clever. Should make a good
difference to how we fight. I can see these being used to pick men
off city walls."

Wallesan looked startled. "You can do that with this gun?"

"Aye, Your Grace. Uh, Garia, what is the range of this
rifle?"

"Well, I'm told they have tested them out to six hundred
strides, but what kind of accuracy you can get at that distance I
don't know."

Wallesan blurted, "Six hundred strides? Maker! No
wonder you wanted to conceal these designs from all, Robanar. This
will change the art of war for ever."

Robanar grunted. "Aye. Unfortunately those of Yod did not
receive my letter. Guns are known to the world now and we must take
account of everything they may do, since if we do not we will suffer
the consequences. We seek to limit the knowledge that is inevitably
spread over a battlefield but we know such ideas will travel, and
there are engineers in other lands than Palarand who can improve what
they may learn about."

"Aye. This council you mentioned?"

"As you say." Robanar came to a quick decision. "I
may not invite you all, since some of the matters we will speak of
there are best heard by as few ears as possible, against accidental
exposure. Wallesan, Bardanar, you will both be welcome when next we
meet."

"Thank you, brother."

"Aye, Robanar. I deem there are serious matters in the air
around this table."

"Agreed. Tenant Maralin, with His Grace's permission, you may
attend as well." Robanar turned to Garia. "What are in
those other bags, my dear?"

Garia opened one of the smaller bags and pulled out a brand new
pistol. After breaking it to ensure that it was empty she passed it
around for the others to examine.

Bardanar commented, "From one extreme to another. I didn't
think it was possible to make a gun this small."

"That's not particularly small, Your Grace," Garia said.
"It's that size because of the limitations of the materials and
machinery we currently have." She shrugged. "It will be
good enough for personal defense and that is what it is intended
for."

Bardanar nodded. "I see. So you would carry it... where?"

"A specially designed holder called a holster, usually made
out of leather. It can be positioned on your hip, or in the small of
your back, in a bag or perhaps under your arm like this." Garia
demonstrated.

When it got round to Maralin he said, "Just a single shot,
then?"

"Yes," Garia replied. "We do have an example of a
six-shooter to use as a model but until we can develop a reliable cap
then it would be pointless. I'd like to do a Derringer but again,
without a cap..." She shrugged again.

Wallesan asked, "Derringer?"

Garia explained, "Your Grace, they are a very small gun,
usually carried concealed by a woman or a... rogue, shall we say.
They had either one or two shots and they would fit in the small of
your hand. Not accurate, but good enough to kill someone standing...
two or three strides away."

Wallesan had gotten over his surprises so merely nodded. Garia
opened the third bag and lifted out... something. She passed it
around.

Bardanar asked, "What is this?"

"Your Grace, it is called a grenade. It is intended to
be thrown at the enemy when he is close enough on the field of
battle, but far enough away that your own troops would be safe. The
handle contains a fuse which the thrower lights. We may come up with
a way to do that without needing a separate flame. Anyway, once lit,
the thrower has about three breaths to get rid of it before it
explodes."

"Explodes?"

"Your Grace, if you think of the round end like a gun barrel,
it is full of powder. Only difference is, with this device there's no
way for the explosion to get out along the barrel. So the whole thing
flies apart with great violence and will kill or injure anyone
standing nearby."

"Maker! What a terrible device."

"Is it any worse than having a man stick a sword in you, Your
Grace?"

"As you say, Lady Garia."

Robanar asked, "What is this made of, Garia? It is not
metal."

"No, Sire. We could not cast the required shapes reliably
enough. Some didn't come apart at all, merely blew the end off.
Somebody pointed out that they could do this just as easily in
ceramic so that's what we did. It is a lot easier to mold these out
of clay and bake them hard and they shatter in a consistent and
reliable way."

"I see. These are intended only for use in the field, then?"

"Sire, there are other uses. His Grace Duke Wallesan could
have used these when he retook his city because they can be used for
clearing houses. You just throw one through the window or door of a
room and stand back. Nobody inside stands a chance."

Robanar pursed his lips and Wallesan looked thoughtful.

Bardanar asked, "Have Yod anything like these devices?"

Garia shook her head. "Your Grace, we can't possibly know
until we fight them. Certainly the weapons we have seen up till now
have been fairly crude and unreliable but somebody up river
must have some brains. If we can think of ideas like these then so
can they."

"But these are inventions of your own, are they not?"

"I brought the original ideas from my homeland, Your Grace,
but most of the design of these weapons is down to the engineers I
work with. I would never have thought of some of the improvements
they suggested. Using clay for the grenades, for example."

* * *

It was a thoughtful meeting that broke up late into the evening.
Keren walked Garia back towards their suites.

"Bardanar suspects, does he not?"

"I'm not sure how much your father has told him, Keren. If he
comes to the council he'll learn everything anyway."

"I think father will talk to him before that. Telling the
whole story will take too much of the council's time."

"As you say."

"What about your meeting with Maralin? A satisfactory
afternoon?"

"Yes, thank you. I have asked him if he wants to join us for
some English lessons and he said yes."

Keren nodded. "That's a good idea, my love. Tell me, how much
does he know about the Beings?"

"Nothing. I've been debating how much to tell him but I think
I need to ask permission before I do. Problem is, if he acts on
information he wouldn't otherwise have, then he might do something
unexpected and throw off the future. At the moment he's no different
than any of the other transferees scattered around Anmar."

"Other transferees? There are more?"

Oh, crap. Me and my big mouth.

Garia waved her hands. "I'm just assuming, all right? There's
me, and there was Yves, and now there's Maralin, and we're just in a
tiny portion of Alaesia. Who knows what's going on around the rest of
the world?"

"Oh. As you say. You want to talk to the Beings, then? I
assumed that you meant father."

"Well, one thing at a time, Keren. And with all these
visitors wandering about the palace it is getting difficult
remembering who knows what."

Keren grinned and squeezed Garia's waist. "Including me, I
take it? I know you're hiding secrets, my love, but I can see the
need for it. Just be careful, you hear?"

"I'm trying, Keren, but it's not going to get any easier."

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Comments

Realizing that there is insufficient steel to start production of railroad engines and rolling stock, that doesn't preclude the prepositioning of ties and crushed rock for road bed. A line has already been scouted and now materials must be brought forward so that when the rolling stock is ready, The rails can be emplaced rapidly.

Railroad engines. In fact, many early railroads actually used animals to pull the rolling stock - rolling stock which in effect is simply a wagon equipped with a different style of wheel.

The actual advantage was in the use of the rails themselves, as well as in how the roadbed was designed and prepared. By creating a smoothly graded and prepared roadbed, and then adding rails to accommodate the travel of the rolling stock, you eliminate many of the issues inherent in the pre-rail transit system.

You eliminate the wear and tear on the rolling stock due to the poor road conditions, and at the same time you improve the efficiency of the transportation system through the use of planned and maintained roadways, a much more mechanically efficient method of transit, and a standardized set of equipment.

The improvement in efficiency just due to the lessened rolling resistance inherent in the use of a rail system allows for the more efficient use of your beasts of burden; i.e. one animal can pull either a larger wagon, or more than one wagon in trail. Of course, this is vastly aided if the roadbed is properly graded, thus eliminating any serious changes in grade. Modern railroads are designed to keep grades below 10% whenever possible. As is true even with modern day railroads, where this is not easily achievable the use of more motive force is required - double heading, triple heading, etc.

Where animals are the motive force, this would require way stations with additional animals available at the steeper grades. In other words, break up your trains and use one or more animals in team per wagon only on the steeper grades. Then you would remove the additional animals and return to the more efficient use when the steeper grades had been passed.

Animal drawn carts on wooden rails would be a useful stopgap, then add a steel cap when the metal becomes available, before finally replacing with steel rails. As with evolution, any small improvement is useful.

As regards railways, some of the ground-breaking has been done for tracks up in Blackstone, and other places are gearing up for it. Remember Garia demanding from Trosanar rights of way for tracks to be laid eventually?

Both forms of transport (will) require powerful steam engines, steam engines that Garia has indicated will themselves have to be made of steel. This lack of expertise in producing large steel sheets and forming them, sealing them and the like is certainly not something that can be rectified overnight.

Even then, the new steam engines will need to be tested and so on. The current chuffing engines are really not much more than what we used to call 'donkey engines'. They are some large way short of having anything really powerful.

But, of course, they are working on it.
Furnaces are being built and production will start to soar, in a few months time, when the weather improves and when knowledge and experience catch up.

Of course, once they have the engine, then they will have to learn about gears and drive-trains and the like - learning by doing, by trying.

So with thousands of troops already in the fields of Forguland, steam-powered river boats will just NOT be available for use in the war. Such a large army cannot be kept sharp by exercising and consuming the host nation's supplies. With at least half a year to go before even the first prototypes have been tested, it makes no sense to move the troops all the way up there and then not use them, keeping them back while waiting for some experimental thing that no-one up to now has ever seen.

So maybe it is not surprising that steam power will not feature in this campaign.

But it does sound as though pizzas aren't too far away. I guess I shall have to fight the urge to introduce characters called Domino or Papa John.

Preparing the railbeds is the _only_ thing to worry about right now. Even without rails, the railbeds will be useful for wagons (even trains of wagons - several hooked together and drawn by teams of dranakh). The 'rest areas' that would have to be built due to the slower speed of the dranakh compared to a train won't be a waste. They'll end up being staging and repair locations in future, as well as places for water tanks/cisterns.

People are focusing on the final outcome, and not realizing that the structure itself will be useful long before even wooden rails could be placed. (In fact, you'd want the wider bed that dranakh would require anyway. You need room for a second set of rails, as well as places for repair crews to be able to wait for a train to go by before changing out ties or straightening rails)

In some mining towns, the mining tracks and ore carts (some setup as flatbeds with add on sides) can be pulled by frayen and used about town to move supplies. Even mining spoils can be hauled out in ore carts for road construction. This can free up some dranakh drawn wagons for troop support duties.

A new chapter to a great story, what a wonderful treat to open my computer to this morning. I'm wondering if they are having issues regarding boat/barge traffic on the river due the weather and flooding the river has, why not put together Garia's idea for a railroad? I realize that tracks take steel, however for a temporary measure, especially in a time of war and fast movement of supplies and troops is required; tracks can be and have been made from wood. Then a strip of iron, which they can make, placed on the tops of the wooden rails to prevent immediate breakdown of the rails surfaces. Garia has introduced the steam engine, so she and even with Maralin's help could show them how to build steam engines. Once these engines are built, they could also be sized up or down as needed and engines could be fitted to all boats being used for river traffic. A win-win for the allied countries. Janice Lynn

And many things being tied together. The conversation between Maralin and Garia brought up an interesting point - due to their switched genders, they could prove to be a source of knowledge and assistance for each other. Plus, Garia made the point that Maralin does in fact have some unique knowledge that Garia would have no experience in her past to have provided the proper viewpoint.

We also see how much better Garia's position is with which to make use of that knowledge. Hopefully, she can use that position in combination with Maralin's different knowledge to develop different aspects of life on Anmar. A good example is the culinary arts.

I have updated the Index thingy (link below!) with not only the links to this chapter, but also the names of the 'new' countries - new because Di has been busy mapping away and expects to post the two maps mentioned in this Episode in the next couple of days - certainly by the weekend.

Poor Penny has had to invent some more country and city names as well as do all her stuff for the next SEE episodes, and check over my next episodes of both the Chivan tales and Julina's.

Warfare. *yawn* I'm not a big fan of warfare. But I enjoyed the conversation between Garia and Maralin. I like that they got to speak English and mention things like Hollywood. I hope they're able to find some flour for pasta. I'm not sure how I'd manage if I couldn't have pasta!

Snep was missed but I'm sure he'll show up again. I find it interesting that Garia thought frayen were sort of evolved from rhinos. That changes my mental image of them a bit. Thanks for the info. I want to picture Snep as accurately as possible. I wonder if someone might be able to sketch some of these critters. That would be appreciated.

Regrettably, I suck at drawing. I know 5 year olds who can draw better than I can.

I had this in my mind: An animal about the same size and proportions as a large donkey or a mule, say, but almost completely hairless. The model would be a modified rhino.

The only hairs I have described are the eyelashes, in the ears and between the pads of the feet (like dogs).

The tail would be like that of a rhino, which is short, meaty and sort of a long thin triangle in shape. The hide would be extremely hard and gray in color like that of a rhino. The feet each have four toes, the center two being larger than the outer two. Each toe has a short blunt nail at the front but the weight is taken on the pad behind the nail (again, like a dog).

The head I envisaged as being similar to that of a rhino but obviously narrower and more slender. The ears are on top and mobile. I'm not sure if I wanted the top lip to be pointed like some rhino species or flat like others. The eyes would be halfway between the ears and the nose, not higher up as horses have them.

Of course, these creatures have no horns at all. In fact, it is possible that horns of any kind are unknown on Anmar.

It is also possible that someone could photoshop a rhino into a frayen, but, as I said, I suck at drawing so I couldn't do it myself. Contributions welcome by PM.

Well my theory will be that memory implantation may be different from natural memory formation as when one reaches about 3 years old, a nerve cell die off happens so memories don't just keep getting overridden. That is why everyone has that memory amnesia of at least their first year of life.

Now in a clone environment, at least in this case, that die off might not need to happen and memories get implanted at the time of maximal nerve development and the rest of the nerves may still be available for other duties, possibly leading to savant-like abilities.

I don't think the actual clone making process will ever be talked about in any detail, but here's what I figure would be necessary:

The clone would be grown in some kind of nutrient solution in an artificial womb.

After 'birth', it will be necessary to 'replay' the memory of the original using the 'rope-like' structure which Nurse showed to Garia. This will implant it in the clone's brain at the same rate as the body is developed (much faster than real life).

Along with this, the maturing clone would need to be physically manipulated in order to ensure appropriate muscle development. If this did not happen, the resulting clone would be completely flabby and weak. The movements would be driven by the memory rope.

Of course, there is no reason why the clone has to suffer any of the actual injuries the original faced. That means no scars, no lost body parts, no deterioration due to bad diet / smoking / sunlight etc.

Any further detail is left up to the designer of the cloning machinery :)

Since it was our author that was talking about how the clone process would go, I think we are way past "as reasonable surmise as any" on this one. At some point it comes down to, "I'm on a TG site reading a TG story that has a M to F transformation as a major plot element. If I want to enjoy the story, it doesn't make a huge amount of sense to worry too much about the scientific basis of the transformation."

I will admit to being curious about Gary's fate. The beings indicated to Garia that Marilyn was about to die on earth. I wonder if Gary was about to suffer a similar fate, but I'm much more curious about what is going to happen in the story going forward (especially learning who the key is and what role that person is to play).

I missed that you were just questioning the F to M change. I recall the beings indicated that it was on purpose (or at least that's the impression I got) to see how it worked out as they thought there might be an advantage in the change. I think we just have to accept that they have figured out how to make it happen (or to increase the probability of it happening).

... was described earlier as being a mistake. It was, to quote Terry Pratchett, "Quantum".
When Garia resulted as female rather than male, the Beings were first surprised, and then pleased because their plans now had a greater chance of success.

Maralin has been suggested to be a deliberate experiment to see if sex changes were pre-determinable.

I'm sure we shall be enlightened soon.
Penny has also hinted quite strongly that this story is coming to an end.

As to whether it was deliberate or not as to Maralin's change I do not recall it being said that an order was given to explicitly do it, that is all I was saying, just to let it happen and hope for another accident like Garia had. I am just saying that it can only be done deliberately. I am just saying I do not recall it being explicitly told.

Until Garia arrived on Anmar nobody was aware that a certain tiny percentage of the transfers had gone wrong.

Once they had a proven fact, the next task was to find out what had happened, why the machinery had malfunctioned.

They still can't predict when a switch is likely to happen, they just know that it will sometimes. They haven't had time to fix the machines. It might be possible to 'game' the results to get what they require.

So that lead to the question of whether the Valley countries have a common currency? Or is there an exchange rate? Sad that there is no way to benefit Garia if each country can benefit from an idea and not pay a commission unless they voluntarily agree to it.

The whole point is, this union they propose will still need to have a very long drawn out process to decide how much power to distribute and share. Unifying certain laws, especially of trade and money, especially the latter, will take many Kalikans of time to hammer out.

That has been the whole weak point of the current EU monetary brouhaha with countries like Greece, an example of where there is no true ability to politically impose solutions in individual member countries yet share a common monetary unit.

It's not so much a common currency, but that their money is almost guaranteed to be metal coinage. It's easy to weigh and determine purity (archimedes method), so using coins from the next country over is relatively easy. That's how it worked in Europe, and the US, prior to paper money. Even _after_ paper money, until every country realized that by going off of a physical commodity standard, they could make as much money as they wanted. (It works, but it's a lie. It's just a useful lie) Even going to paper money for some things, if you keep it 'backed' by something (it doesn't have to be a precious metal), you can use other people's money the same way.

Pottery coinage has been used in the past (mostly in Asian countries). The reason it works is that it takes skill and materials to make the coinage, so they are difficult to forge, and are accepted for trade - in and with that group. Those coins wouldn't be likely to end up being used as fungible mediums of exchange in Palarand, except with merchants that trade back and forth with that part of the world, or money lenders. (Shell money is the same way - limited supply of the mollusk that produces the shell, and often the mollusk is hard to get. Diamonds are only worth as much as they are because DeBoers (and the other companies) do not release much to the market at any particular time. (I have customers who are diamond/jewelry merchants, and another one that worked for DeBoers a long time ago)

Will Wallesan's action on Garia's fork royalties cause the other rulers to fork over royalties to Garia as well. :-):-)

Better stated, will it open the door for reciprocity agreements that protect inventions? This would also encourage the sharing of inventions (technology) through licensing without the worries of getting ripped off.

Due to their printing being at a low tech level, a centralized 'patent' office with it's own printing and book bindery section for producing updates and bound volumes is likely to become essential to quickly spread technology throughout the Palar Valley. (The Guildmasters are likely to recognize this need themselves.)

Currently, it seems that inventions have to be registered in each kingdom/country/state. This is costly in both time and money. Futhermore, it will obviously increase the licensing costs and slow technology's spread.

This just barely touches on what is likely to be positively affected by reciprocity agreements and a centralized patent office.

I would guess it would be less of a patent business and more of a design distribution business - much like dress/clothing patterns were done. The design of the product would be produced and sent out, with a date indicating when it was made. That design would be available through a guild hall or whatever, for copying purposes. You'd pay for the copy, which was the 'royalty' (for clothing, the sketch copy you made was often destroyed in the process of making the clothing) Something similar could be done for machinery and inventions, at least to start.

I envisioned the patents more as legal records and not the complete application packet. The detail of drawings on issued patents would not be detailed enough from which to build or construct a copy. The written description is to be a summary. The interested party would need to contact the patent owner for details, licensing, training, 'blueprints' and/or purchase.

Distribution; The rulers of kingdoms/countries, counts and higher nobles. Guildhalls or anyone who wants to pay for their own copies of the patent updates and bound volumes.

For example; Maralin is an instructor (from Joth) at the New College and patents the wheelbarrow in a dozen variants under the name Monroe. Monroe is confident of receiving his royalties under the treaties and this system. (The inside joke for Garia and Maralin is intentionally suggested.)

They are a vital tool in modernising civilisations (as Garia has touched upon with her description of banking in earlier chapters). The problems arise when governments interfere with exchange rate mechanisms for national political gain. You can tell it's a lie when they call it "Quantitative Easing" when what it really is is "printing money" and that money has no real backing value except a government's promise....and how much is that worth?

Every economy must be measured by something of intrinsic value produced by that country, whether it be precious or industrial metals/resources or the hard work and skills of its people that others are willing to pay for at an agreed rate.

Garia will at least get a royalty on her forks, and rightly so. It's called intellectual property. Whether it's a fair rate is another matter but at least it gives her buying power in a foreign country. The relationship between China and the USA (for instance) is totally skewed in China's favour by manipulation of exchange rates and China's blatant disregard for US intellectual property rights. The myth that US labour costs are the problem is just that...a myth. This is also true of Japan and South Korea. Try selling American goods in those countries even if they were invented in the US.

As an example, a couple of years ago my employer wanted to get one of those fancy TV/video units that you can wave a wand at and have it go to any part of the programme that you were currently viewing during commercial presentations. The piece of technology was developed totally in the USA by US skills so we went to America to buy one....price US$ 55000.....eventually purchased from S. Korea for US$ 13000. Technology stolen and reverse-engineered by a US ally. My point being that you cannot trust corporations or governments even when you have so-called patent protection. Garia needs to help Anmar develop those protections or countries like Yod (or another) will pirate all the new technology.

Also, just for the record, I am not American. I can just recognise dranakh-shit when I see and/or smell it.

But he now probably has the typical male odor stink that I did not realize men have until I transitioned. I remember not particularly being bothered by my roommate in college (a guy of course) not washing for long periods until I met him again after having transitioned and had surgery myself. So now I could smell him and I realized I must have smelled the same way at the time. Oh my.

Oh yes there are some stinking women out there too but it is not quite so bad so it may have a diet component.

No offense to obese people but larger quantities of food consumption especially of proteins would logically generate more smelly stuff in sweat and released so that would account for some of the stereotype of smellier heavy folks.